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foothill clover

golden clover, golden hop clover, yellow clover

Habit Plants annual, erect, 5–50 cm, glabrous or sparsely hairy; branched. Plants annual, erect, 20–60 cm, glabrous or hirsute; unbranched or profusely branched.
Leaves

palmate;

leaflets 3, elliptic to oblong or obovate, 8–35 × 5–15 mm, bases cuneate;

margins serrate proximally, obscurely denticulate distally;

veins thickened;

tips usually rounded or retuse, rarely acute;

surfaces glabrous;

petioles 10–130 mm;

petiolules ~0.5 mm;

stipules ovate-lanceolate, 10–15 mm;

margins entire, sometimes ciliate;

tips acuminate.

palmate;

leaflets 3, obovate to elliptic-lanceolate, 22–28 × 6–8 mm, bases cuneate;

margins denticulate;

lateral veins prominent; ± parallel;

tips acute, truncate, or retuse, mucronate;

surfaces glabrous or with scattered hairs;

petioles 8–10 mm;

petiolules ? 1 mm;

stipules oblanceolate, 9–15 mm;

margins entire;

tips acuminate or cuspidate.

Inflorescences

axillary or terminal, 10–30-flowered; ovoid becoming subglobose, 7–22 × 5–20 mm;

involucres a narrow, membranous, dentate rim; ~0.5 mm;

bracteoles linear or cup-shaped; ? 1 mm.

axillary or terminal, 20–80-flowered, usually ovoid-cylindrical, sometimes globose, 12–20 × ~13 mm;

involucres absent;

bracteoles reduced to fringe of red setae.

Peduncles

25–120 mm.

20–50 mm.

Pedicels

erect but becoming reflexed, 0.5–6 mm.

reflexed, 0.3–0.6 mm.

Flowers

6–13 mm;

calyces broadly campanulate, 5–11 mm, glabrous;

veins 10;

tubes 1–5 mm;

lobes elliptic to linear, unequal;

margins hyaline, markedly ciliate, dentate or pectinate; sinuses narrow;

orifices open;

corollas 5–13 mm, white, pink, or purple;

banners broadly ovate, 6–13 × 4–7 mm;

tips rounded, apiculate.

7–8 mm;

calyces campanulate, 2–2.5 mm, glabrous;

veins 5;

tubes 0.8–1 mm;

lobes deltate, unequal, 0.6–0.9 mm; abaxial linear; adaxial reduced; ½ length of abaxial;

orifices open;

corollas 5–6 mm; golden yellow becoming brown;

banners persistent, obovate or boat-shaped, 4–4.5 × 2.4–2.6 mm;

tips emarginate.

Fruits

longitudinally dehiscent; ovoid, 5–10 mm; < 2 × as long as calyces; short-stipitate.

oblong, 3–3.5 mm; ? calyces, stipitate.

Seeds

1–2; ovoid, 2.5–3 mm, brown, mottled; smooth.

1; ovoid, 1–1.2 mm, pale yellow-green; smooth; glossy.

2n

=16.

=14, 16.

Trifolium ciliolatum

Trifolium aureum

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Oak-pine chaparral, meadows, roadsides. Flowering May–Jun. 50–800 m. Col, ECas, Sisk, WV. CA, WA; south to Mexico. Native.

Roadsides, railroads, fields, disturbed woodland glades. Flowering Jun–Jul. 1000–1500 m. BW. CA, ID, WA; eastern and western North America; worldwide. Exotic.

Trifolium agrarium is a confused name that has been historically used for T. aureum (Dandy 1958) but has been rejected under Article 56 of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Turland et al. 1996). Native in Eurasia, T. aureum is weedy worldwide.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 725
Michael Vincent
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 723
Michael Vincent
Sibling taxa
T. albopurpureum, T. angustifolium, T. appendiculatum, T. arvense, T. aureum, T. barbigerum, T. beckwithii, T. bifidum, T. breweri, T. campestre, T. cernuum, T. cyathiferum, T. depauperatum, T. dichotomum, T. douglasii, T. dubium, T. echinatum, T. eriocephalum, T. fragiferum, T. fucatum, T. glomeratum, T. gymnocarpon, T. hirtum, T. howellii, T. hybridum, T. incarnatum, T. latifolium, T. leibergii, T. longipes, T. macraei, T. macrocephalum, T. microcephalum, T. microdon, T. obtusiflorum, T. oliganthum, T. owyheense, T. plumosum, T. pratense, T. productum, T. repens, T. resupinatum, T. retusum, T. siskiyouense, T. striatum, T. subterraneum, T. suffocatum, T. tomentosum, T. variegatum, T. vesiculosum, T. willdenovii, T. wormskioldii
T. albopurpureum, T. angustifolium, T. appendiculatum, T. arvense, T. barbigerum, T. beckwithii, T. bifidum, T. breweri, T. campestre, T. cernuum, T. ciliolatum, T. cyathiferum, T. depauperatum, T. dichotomum, T. douglasii, T. dubium, T. echinatum, T. eriocephalum, T. fragiferum, T. fucatum, T. glomeratum, T. gymnocarpon, T. hirtum, T. howellii, T. hybridum, T. incarnatum, T. latifolium, T. leibergii, T. longipes, T. macraei, T. macrocephalum, T. microcephalum, T. microdon, T. obtusiflorum, T. oliganthum, T. owyheense, T. plumosum, T. pratense, T. productum, T. repens, T. resupinatum, T. retusum, T. siskiyouense, T. striatum, T. subterraneum, T. suffocatum, T. tomentosum, T. variegatum, T. vesiculosum, T. willdenovii, T. wormskioldii
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